what is the importance of chemistry in nursing?

Question

What is the importance of chemistry in nursing especially in nursing course?

Answer 1

I am an Intensive care nurse. I feel you do need chemistry in nursing. Your patient might have acidosis or alkalosis which may be metabolic or respiratory in nature or both. If you don't have a clue about what this is, then you will not know the rationale for the meds you are hanging. you also need an understanding about electrolytes ( Na, K, Ca etc). The nurse will be hanging so many different IV fluids and if he/she does not know what it is for, and how it will affect the patient, the patients life will be in danger. The list will go on as to why you need Chem in nursing.

Answer 2

Importance Of Chemistry In Nursing

Answer 3

It serves two purposes:

One, it familiarizes you with the measurements, and gives you a new way to think. At the same time, if someone really, really can't handle this class, should they be allowed to dispense meds if they don't have a feel for the differences between mL's, cc's, and grams.

Second, if you want to go further in medicine, this is a prerequirement for more advanced study. It's like I tell other students, the teacher doesn't know where you are going to end up. You may not want to become a nurse practitioner, but the person sitting behind you might. So, the class has to prepare them as well.

Answer 4

I am at a patients bedside at this moment. It is important for me to know not to give a sodium phosphate bolus in the same IV line as his HAL fluid because the calcium in the HAL will precipitate when mixed together forming calcium phosphate thereby clogging the line and possibly endangering the patient.

Answer 5

You need to know the language for its application in medicine. If someone says that substace X is in millimoles, you need to be on the same page. Other than that its all jumping through hoops.

Answer 6

There are many.